Imam Khamenei: Rafsanjani’s Death Overwhelming, Very Hard to Bear

Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei condoled on Sunday the death of Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

In a message wrote shortly following the announcement of Ayatollah Rafsanjani’s death, Imam Khamanei expressed grief over the sudden demise of an old friend, comrade and ally during the struggles for the 1979 Islamic Revolution and close colleague during the post-Islamic Revolution period.

“The loss of a comrade, a companion with whom one has cooperated and felt close to for a full fifty-nine years, is difficult and overwhelming,” the message said.

“There were so many hardships and difficult moments we endured over the last decades. And there was so much sympathy and empathy we had towards one another in various eras that led us to accomplish efforts, practice patience, and take risks on this shared path,” Imam Khamanei added.

His eminence praised’ Ayatollah Rafsanjani’s unique intelligence and friendliness throughout the years, stressing that such characteristics turned him into a reliable source of trust for all those who worked with him.

“At times, a difference of opinions and varying jurisprudences, during this long companionship, never managed to cut the ties of friendship between us; which first began in Beinul Haramain–in the holy Karbala. And the evil set forth by those who breathed temptation into the minds of people, who were trying hard over the last few years to exploit these theoretical differences, could not lead to any flaws in the deep, personal love he felt for this humble person.”

“I ask God for compassion, mercy and forgiveness towards him, from the depths of my heart, and I condole with his respected wife, children, brothers and other survivors,” Imam Khamenei concluded his message.